Microsoft to extend warranty against red rings of death to 3 years

Microsoft has long had issues with the reliability of the 360 hardware, and …

These days, it's harder to find someone with an original 360 than it is to find one who has had problems, it seems. Everyone online is complaining about overheating, red lights of death, and being on their third systems (if not more). I've had two die, and I know Frank has been through the same thing. Other game journalists and reviews have complained about having to replace the office system often. A story claiming that over 30 percent of systems were going bad was based on some shaky data, but to many this didn't seem outside the realm of possibility.

Microsoft has already extended their warranty, but that didn't keep people from complaining about the overwhelmingly bad reputation of the 360 hardware when it came to defective units. Now Microsoft is doing it again: this time the warranty will cover flashing red lights up to three years from the date of purchase.

"The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one. But, this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologize," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division. "We value our community tremendously and look at this as an investment in our customer base. We look forward to great things to come." The announcement also states that Microsoft will take a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for anticipated costs under its current and enhanced Xbox 360 policies.

The announcement describes an "unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles," and goes on to say that they have "identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console." Microsoft also promises that this new warranty will take care of existing customers, and also that they have improved the hardware itself.

This is good news, and should alleviate some fears from consumers about their systems. It might even entice new customers to pick up a system. There are still some questions about what changes to the hardware will be made to counteract these problems, but the fact that Microsoft has admitted there is an issue and is finally doing something about it is a good thing. If you've already paid to have your system replaced, Microsoft will reimburse you.

So does this change your opinion of the hardware, or is it too little, too late?